SYDNEY AUTUMN RACING CARNIVAL

FEBRUARY - APRIL 2018

ABOUT

Held each year from January to May is the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, the greatest annual event if you’re a racing enthusiast residing in New South Wales. Conducted over a range of racecourses across Sydney, the carnival has been revamped over the past few years with the injection of more than $18 million for prize money from Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club. The new initiative funded the introduction of the two-day ‘The Championships’, an event that includes ten ‘championship’ races across two consecutive Saturdays in April.

The $3m Group 1 Doncaster Handicap headlines day one of The Championships, while the ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a $4 million Group 1 weight-for-age event, headlines the second day. The Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival also includes a range of country events held at Gosford, Newcastle, Kembla Grange, Hawkesbury and Scone Racecourses.

THE ROYAL RANDWICK AUTUMN CARNIVAL

With 12 Group 1s held throughout the Royal Randwick Autumn Carnival, it makes it one of the biggest carnivals of racing in Australia. The recent initiative The Championships has boosted the autumn racing landscape at Randwick dramatically, with its intention to compete with the biggest carnivals in the world. Other major events to take place at Royal Randwick during the autumn is Group 1s Randwick Guineas and All Aged Stakes.

THE ROSEHILL AUTUMN CARNIVAL

The Rosehill Autumn Carnival may not compete with the Royal Randwick Autumn Carnival in the prize money department, but it certainly offers an array of world class quality racing. Headlining the event is the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper, the richest race for two-year-olds in the world. The leading weight-for-age event of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, the $2.25 million The BMW is also run at Rosehill Racecourse, one week previous to The Championships.

THE GOSFORD AUTUMN CARNIVAL

Unofficially kicking off the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival is Gosford Gold Cup Day, the headline annual event of for the Gosford Racing Club. The $150,000 Gosford Gold Cup, a 2100m listed race, may not attract the quality field that other races in the autumn can, but it’s a one of the season’s best races away from Rosehill and Randwick.

THE NEWCASTLE AUTUMN CARNIVAL

Squeezed midweek between Coolmore Classic Day and Golden Slipper Stakes Day is the premier event of the Newcastle Autumn Carnival. Held annually in mid-March is the Newcastle Newmarket Handicap, one of their premier open handicap races on the country racing calendar.

THE KEMBLA GRANGE AUTUMN CARNIVAL

The Kembla Grange Autumn Carnival is held right in the middle of a busy season of racing. The feature event of the carnival, the Keith F. Nolan Stakes is held midweek between Golden Slipper Stakes Day and The BMW Stakes Day. The feature race is named in the honour of Keith Nolan, the founding chairman of the Illawarra Turf Club.

THE HAWKESBURY AUTUMN CARNIVAL

As the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival draws to a close, the Hawkesbury Autumn Carnival heats up. Its major event, Hawkesbury Cup Day, is held in late April/early May, traditionally a fortnight after the running of the All Aged Stakes at Royal Randwick. The Hawkesbury Cup is the feature event of the Carnival, with Group 3s Hawkesbury Guineas and Hawkesbury Crown also prominent races in the carnival.

THE SCONE AUTUMN CARNIVAL

The Scone Autumn Carnival is the last meeting of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, held in mid-May at Scone Racecourse. The country club’s feature event is the Group 3 Dark Jewel Classic, a quality race for fillies and mares over the 1400m track. It’s $200,000 prize money makes it the richest country races in the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.